Chapter 329: Walking Alone Through the Void
Adam burst out from the suffocating darkness, gasping violently as though he had just surfaced from drowning. He collapsed onto one knee on the cold stone floor, chest heaving, lungs burning from the lack of air. Sweat mixed with dust clung to his pale skin.
"Damn it..." he rasped, voice echoing hollowly into the void. "We’ve been separated."
He closed his eyes and reached through the telepathic bonds he shared with his companions.
’Lilith? Ignis? Can you hear me?’
Only oppressive silence answered him.
’Lilith! Ignis!’
A few terrifying seconds passed before a calm, familiar voice finally broke through the static.
’Adam.’ Lilith’s tone was steady, though slightly strained. ’I’m alright. Isolde is with me.’
Adam exhaled sharply in relief, shoulders sagging. "Thank the gods..."
Another moment of silence stretched painfully.
Then—
’Adam!!!’ Ignis’s voice exploded into his mind, bright and full of fire. ’I’m okay! Azrynn is here with me too! That stupid darkness tried to eat us, but we’re fine!’
A wide, relieved smile broke across Adam’s face for a brief second.
’Good. I was really worried.’
He pulled out the Compass of Desire, its needle glowing faintly. ’Stay where you are. I’ll come find you—’
’No,’ Lilith cut in firmly. ’Adam, listen to me. Don’t waste time looking for us. Focus on finding the Abyssal Bloom. That is our priority.’
Adam’s grip tightened on the compass. ’Lilith—’
’We’re not helpless,’ she continued, her voice softening just a little. ’We can take care of ourselves. You know that.’
Ignis’s voice immediately followed, burning with determination. ’Yeah! And when I find whatever pulled us apart, I’m going to burn it until there’s nothing left but ashes!’
Adam stared into the endless darkness ahead, jaw clenched. The weight of the decision pressed heavily on him.
’...Fine. But stay safe. All of you. If anything happens, reach out to me immediately.’
’We will,’ Lilith replied. ’Now go, Adam. We’re counting on you.’
The connection faded, leaving Adam alone once again in the suffocating void.
He stood up slowly, crimson eyes burning with resolve as he looked forward.
"Alright... let’s continue."
Adam let out a long, weary sigh, the Compass of Desire glowing faintly in his palm. The needle remained stubbornly fixed, pointing straight into the endless abyss ahead.
"This is like walking blind through enemy territory," he muttered. His voice seemed to disappear the moment it left his lips, swallowed whole by the suffocating darkness. "Damn it... this is harder than I thought."
He kept walking.
Step after step, the darkness pressed against him from every direction— thick, heavy, and alive. There was no wind, no sound, no change in temperature. Only the cold, unyielding stone beneath his boots and the faint pulse of the compass guiding him forward.
Time lost all meaning.
Minutes blurred into hours, or perhaps hours had already become days. His legs burned with fatigue, yet the corridor showed no sign of ending. The silence was absolute, broken only by the lonely echo of his own footsteps and even that sound felt distant, as if it belonged to someone else.
"No sense of time..." Adam whispered, his voice hoarse. "This place isn’t just a prison for the body. It’s designed to erode the mind."
The boredom came first, dull and numbing. Then came the sharper edge of unease. In this void, there were no distractions. Only his thoughts. And they were growing louder with every step.
He clenched the compass tighter and continued forward, jaw set.
The needle never wavered.
Adam’s steps grew heavier with each passing moment. The darkness wasn’t just empty space anymore— it felt alive, heavy, and malicious, pressing down on his shoulders like an invisible mountain.
Then the shadows moved.
Without warning, tendrils of pure void erupted from the walls, floor, and ceiling all at once. Adam’s wings snapped open on instinct, but the darkness was faster. Cold, suffocating tendrils wrapped around his ankles, wrists, and throat, yanking him downward with brutal force.
"Tch!"
Adam snarled and slashed violently with his claws.
"[Abyssal Pierce]!"
A spear of concentrated void energy tore through the shadows, shredding several tendrils into nothing. But more surged forward instantly, thicker and more aggressive, coiling around his torso and limbs like living chains.
"[Tempest Sovereign]!"
A violent storm of cutting wind and crackling lightning exploded outward from his body. For a brief moment, the shadows recoiled. Adam broke free, breathing hard.
But the darkness reformed almost immediately and swallowed him whole.
When the world stopped spinning, Adam stumbled forward and caught himself. The stone floor looked identical. The suffocating darkness looked the same. Only the Compass of Desire in his hand had changed, its needle spun wildly before locking onto a completely new direction.
"...A spatial relocation trap," Adam growled, his voice low and dangerous. "This thing is playing with me."
He looked around. No landmarks. No change in the air. Just endless, oppressive black stretching in every direction.
The shadows stirred again.
This time they didn’t try to grab him. They formed solid walls, blocking his path, forcing him to change direction. Every time he tried to push forward toward where the compass had originally pointed, the darkness grew more aggressive.
Adam’s eyes narrowed with cold fury.
"You’re hiding something in that direction, aren’t you?" he muttered. "What are you so afraid I’ll find?"
The darkness answered with another massive wave of void crashing down on him. Adam tried to dodge, but there was nowhere to run. The wave engulfed him completely.
When he emerged again, he had been moved once more.
Adam stood still for a moment, chest heaving. His fists clenched so tightly that his claws dug into his palms.
"This is getting ridiculous..."
He exhaled sharply and opened his system interface with a thought, quickly scrolling through his skills while keeping his senses on high alert.
[Mirage Cascade] — good for speed, but not enough against this kind of spatial manipulation.
[Abyssal Glide] — flight was useless earlier.
[Burrow] — possible, but he didn’t know what lurked beneath the stone.
His crimson eyes gleamed with growing irritation and determination.
"Fine," he whispered coldly. "If you want to play games..."
Adam’s lips curved into a dangerous, predatory smile.
"Then I’ll tear this entire prison apart until I find what I’m looking for."
